Automobile light system



' April 12, 1938. J. T. CUNNINGHAM 21,113,931

AUTOMOBILE LIGHT SYSTEM Filed March 9, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 April 1938. J. T. CUNNINGHAM AUTOMOBILE LIGHT SYSTEM Filed March 9, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Apr. 12,1938 7 PATENT o FccE j AUTOMOBILE LIGHT, SYSTEM Joseph T. Cunningham, Cincinnati, Ohio Application March 9, 1937, Serial No. 129,938

1 Claim.

My invention relates to automobile lights. An object of my invention is to provide nonglare driving lights.

Another object is to provide parking or clearfrom the following description.

15 In the drawings: v

Figure 1 is a front perspective view of my lights installed on an automobile.

Figure 2 is the same view of the lights installed on a car having the present style of headlights.

Figure 3 is a front elevation of my driving light 20 unit. I

Figure 4 is a section on line 4-4 of Figure 3. Figure 5 is a section similar to Figure 4 of a unit having four forwardly directed lights.

Figure 6 is an end elevation view of the unit, 25 and Figure 7 is a diagrammatic view of my switching arrangement. In the drawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment of my invention, and in which like 30 numerals represent like parts throughout, the

numeral8 designates my improved headlight unit which may be formed of light sheet metal shell 9. This unit 8 may be mounted in the position shown in Figures 1 and 2 on cars having divided 35 bumpers, while on cars having a continuous bumper it may be hung below same.

The front of the unit is closed by a curved lens l which is removably mounted in same. Mounted at a suitable distance behind the lens is a re- 40 flector I l formed substantially as a series of parabolic reflectors, the individual reflectors l2 of which are formed. to throw the light straight ahead, while the end reflectors l3 direct the light 45 inwards and across to the opposite sides of the road. The beams of light from the reflectors l3 will cross at a point over the road out in front of the car.

Each reflector section I2 is furnished with a 50 lamp l4 while end reflectors l3 contain lamps l5.

Referring to Figure 1, it will be noted that upon the fenders of the car are mounted green or otherwise colored parking or passing lights l6, operable in conjunction with the headlight unit 8 in a manner to be described shortly. In the form of the invention shown in Figure 2, the usual headlamps I! are used in lieu of the lights l6 of Figure 1, low power lamps and colored lenses being used instead of the usual high power White light equipment. I will now describe the switching arrangement which is'diagrammatically illustrated by Figure 7. A switch l9 mounted on the vehicle dash operates over contacts 20, 2I,'22 for lamps l6, l5, and I4 respectively. I The first position of the switch 10 onto contact 2 0 illuminates the parking or clearance lights l6, Figure 1, or the lights I! of Figure 2. The second switch position includes contact 2| lighting lamps H5 in cross reflectors [3,

the lights S6 or I! still being in the circuit. In g the third and final position, contacts 20, 2|, 22 are all covered by the blade of switch l9 and the lamps M are illuminated in addition to lamps l5 and It) or IT. From the above description it can be seen that when only parking lights are desired, switch l9 will be set in its first position and only the lights H5, or ll (Figure 2), will be lit through contact 20. The usual driving position of the switch will be position two which cuts in cross lights l5 of end reflectors through contact 2|. When additional illumination is desired switch [9 is moved to'number three which adds the direct ahead lights [4 through contact 22.

From the above description it can be seen that I have provided a novel system of vehicle lighting including a centrally located underslung headlight unit, which eliminates the discomfort of blinding and glaring lights to oncoming motorists, as well as the glare through the back windows of cars preceding in the same direction and in front of cars equipped with my device. These lights also do away with the necessity of switching the lights from bright to dim when meeting oncoming cars.

My lights are advantageous when driving through fog, the underslung position of same enabling most of the light to be projected under the fog giving the driver a more distant view in front, while the cross lights [5 illuminate the side of the road showing the driver how close he is to the edge of same. My device also eliminates the need of two headlights and adds to the streamlining efiect of the car. I

It should be understood that this description and accompanying drawings is to be taken as a preferred embodiment of my invention, and that changes in shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the attached claim.

What I wish to claim by Letters Patent is: An automobile headlight comprising a transversely elongated substantially oval casing having a front wall aperture boundedrat each end by opposed parallel vertical straight edges, the length of the aperture being much less than the transverse extent of the casing whereby to provide light shroud portions at each end of the casing, a lens covering said aperture, a plane refiector plate mounted in the casing perpendicular to its major axis of light projection forwardly of the headlight and with the ends of the plate edge contacting the casing behind said light shroud portions approximately midway between said vertical aperture edges and the adjacent ends of the casing, a linear series of non-091115 municating dished reflectors formed in said plate in fixed relation with the side walls of adjacent reflectors converging and intersecting in the plane of said plate, and the reflector bottoms occupying a common plane, each endmost reflector having a parabolic wall between the plane of the reflector bottoms and the adjacent light shroud portion of the casing with its focal point substantially in the plane of the adjacent vertical straight edge oithe casing aperture, light bulbs at the focal points of said"reflectors,"and the projection axes of said endmo'st reflectors converging and intersecting at a right angle in the center line of the headlight and forwardly of its lens.

JOSEPH T. CUNNINGHAM. 

